Denver Police Chief Robert White said Lopez, who was wearing body armor, was performing a routine traffic stop at the time of the shooting. After the gunfire, the suspect fled.

Police spokesman Sonny Jackson said a carjacking happened near a bank shortly after the shooting.

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Dr. Gene Moore, who operated on Lopez, said the vest he was wearing likely saved the officer's life. Moore also said a bullet hit a main artery in Lopez's leg, but paramedics saved his life with tourniquets.

Federal Boulevard was shut down between West 36th Avenue and West 38th Avenue for the investigation. Police cleared the scene and reopened the road Tuesday evening.

Denver Public Schools placed several schools into lockouts Tuesday afternoon, but they were lifted by 2 p.m.